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Sleep Affects Bone Health

Apr. 6, 2015|349 views

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New research suggests that people who suffer from obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA) may be more prone to osteoporosis. This previously
unrecognized link between the two diseases is related to the importance of
good-quality, uninterrupted sleep for the maintenance of strong bones.
Investigators believe that bone remodeling—a process whereby
old, stressed bone is carefully disassembled, and new bone takes its place—needs
to happen every night while we sleep.

Among adults, about 10% of the skeleton is broken down, recycled,
and promptly replaced, every year. In newborns, this remodeling process can
result in 100% of the skeleton being completely replaced within the first year
of life. Clearly, bone resorption and ossification (new bone formation) are
important processes that ensure the ongoing health of our bones.

Sleep apnea is a condition that common among overweight and obese
people. Normal sleep is continually interrupted as the airway becomes impeded,
forcing the individual to rouse temporarily. Sleep apnea sufferers tend to have
poor blood oxygenation, and higher levels of inflammation in the body. Previous
research has noted an association between OSA and poorer metabolic and
cardiovascular health. OSA also appears to disturb hormone levels.

Investigators are still exploring the various ways that
obstructive sleep apnea may interfere with normal bone health and maintenance,
but they suspect that poor blood oxygenation during sleep, combined with
frequent waking, and disturbances in the production of the sleep-inducing
hormone, melatonin, may all play a role in the negative consequences of OSA.

"There are strong indications that daily rhythms are an
intrinsic and important element of bone biology," said senior author Dr.
Eric Orwoll. "If sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea affect bone
metabolism, they may have diagnostic and therapeutic implications for many
patients, including those affected by sleep apnea in their early, bone modeling
years," added lead author Dr. Christine Swanson.